As pharmacies embrace an expanded role in providing direct patient care, effectively documenting these services becomes crucial not only in ensuring the best possible care, but also in seeing that pharmacists are appropriately reimbursed for the valuable clinical services they provide. Pharmacies need appropriate technology solutions to support this. That's why the NCPA Innovation Center collaborated with other experts to develop the Community-Based Pharmacy Patient Clinical Record Rubric. 

What is this rubric all about? 

While no single technology platform currently available embodies every element within this comprehensive guide, the rubric serves as a vital tool to inspire and guide development. It represents an aspirational standard for community-based pharmacy patient record systems and encourages technology vendors to continually enhance their offerings. It also provides pharmacy owners with a practical framework for evaluating existing systems, helping them identify which platforms are most closely aligned with this expert-defined ideal for robust patient care documentation and functionality. 

Think of this rubric as a checklist. It has 46 key items grouped into three main areas: 

1. What every patient's long-term record should have. This covers all the important patient details that stay with their record over time. 

2. What information pharmacy teams should capture during each patient visit. This section lists the essential information for every interaction with a patient. 

3. What an ideal pharmacy patient record system should be able to do. These are the features and capabilities that make a system truly useful and efficient. 

Why pharmacy owners should use it 

For pharmacy owners, making informed decisions about technology investments is crucial. This rubric offers a structured approach to evaluating various platforms. Pharmacies can use this tool to: 

• Assess platform robustness. Determine if a platform contains the necessary elements and functionalities to support comprehensive patient care documentation and workflow efficiency. 

• Make smart spending choices. Confidently choose a patient record system that aligns with a practice's needs and future goals, minimizing the risk of investing in a less-than-ideal solution. 

• Make documentation easier. Identify systems that facilitate quick and efficient documentation, helping to reduce the burden on pharmacists and improve overall workflow. 

• Move practice forward. Clinical documentation and care planning are essential components of a transformed community-based pharmacy practice. Select technology that supports this transformation and allows pharmacists to fully adopt a standard care process and provide enhanced patient care services. 

• Improve teamwork with other providers. Ensure the chosen platform supports bidirectional sharing of selected patient information with other providers, fostering better coordination of care. 

How to use the Community-Based Pharmacy Patient Clinical Record Rubric 

Simply check the "Yes" or "No" columns for each essential element or functionality listed in the rubric. The more elements and functionalities the record contains, the more robust and functional the platform is. 

For technology partners 

Technology vendors can also utilize this rubric as a valuable benchmarking tool to evaluate their own platforms. It provides a clear framework for understanding how their system compares to an expert panel's opinions on an ideal, robust clinical patient record system, guiding future development and improvements. 

How this tool was created 

Want to know how the Community-Based Pharmacy Patient Clinical Record Rubric was created? Read the article published in JAPhA.  

This rubric was developed with support from the Community Pharmacy Foundation and in collaboration with the NCPA Innovation Center, CPESN® USA, Towncrest Pharmacy, Loma Linda University, and the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.